The Weekend Report

The debut of Ride Along 2 shifted into top gear and was ahead of the pack with an estimated $34 million (all figures reflect 3-day portion of weekend). Two other films bowed nationally for the Martin Luther King holiday frame. The based-on-headlines 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi slotted fourth with $15.7 million while the low-budget animated Norm of the North opened to $6.6 million.

Exclusive bows were largely dull, save for The Lady in the Van, which parked $68,400 in four driveways. In the niches, Indian holidays saw the debut of four Telugu movies, with strong bows for Nannaku Prematho and Soggade Chinni Nayana, with respective box office of $938,000 and $437,000. The Filipino All You Need is Pag-ibig was a disappointment with $114,000 from 59 playdates. Conversely, China import Detective Chinatown generated a potent $271,000 from 33 engagements.

Revenues for the session topped $160 million for the three days and were a near carbon copy of last weekend’s results. It was 22% diminished from 2015 when the national break of American Sniper grossed a jaw-dropping $107.2 million for the full four-day MLK holiday.

When the original Ride Along debuted two years ago, the critical community had the knives out but it cruised along to success with a breezy mix of comedy and action. The new film received comparable love and only slightly diminished commercial appeal. Studio exit demos identified the audience 52% female with 55% of viewers aged 25-years and younger. While it was no great surprise that 34% were African American, a comparable percent identified as Hispanic.

It may not go into evidence at House investigations, but 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi opened to reflected interest in the Libyan incident. It’s likely not to have the enduring hold of the former with the 55% male crowd and 79% that aged 25-years and older.

In the aftermath of Oscar announcements, contenders saw dramatic upticks at the box office including front-line entries Spotlight, Brooklyn and Room as well as foreign-language short-listers Son of Saul and Mustang. Though hardly a tidal wave of interest, the expansions underlined how significant Academy attention is as both promotional tool and a lever to open up screens, particularly for what we now consider alternative options.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 
•